Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Willing Slave ❯ Chapter 13

Part 13

Zechs ran his hand through his hair, tugging at a tangle at the very tips. "Are you sure you can't squeeze it in?"

The smith hammered at a long piece of metal soon to become a sword. "I'm sorry, sir, but that kind of mask is hard to work and I've got a ton of swords and shields to make, not to mention arrows and cross bows, and you yourself told me you need coverings for the horses. I just can't work your mask in anytime soon."

"And you can't repair the old one?"

"Not the way it broke. I'd have to melt the whole thing again anyway."

"Damn it."

"I'm sorry, sir. If you'd only come to me sooner, maybe--"

Zechs leaned against the wall, arms folded. "No, it's all right, Howard. I just...it makes things a little more complicated, that's all." I'll have to keep out of Relena's sight more than ever.

"Hey, Zechs, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

Howard leaned over the hot metal towards the officer. "Why the sudden gear up? Who're we fighting?"

"You'll have to ask Captain Khushrenada for that. I don't think I'm at liberty to say." Zechs frowned. "Howard, where on earth did you get that shirt?"

The older man looked down at his clothing. "Midii made it for me. I admit, it took a little begging and some free necklaces on my part, but she made me a whole bunch."

Zechs took another look at the green shirt covered in pink flowers. He merely shook his head and left the silversmith standing in his shoppe, wondering why no one liked his shirt.

*

"I don't want to go in," Quatre said. He tightened his hold on Trowa's shoulders and buried his face in his shirt. "Please, no."

Trowa put his arms under Quatre's thighs and back and picked him up, letting him hold on as tight as he wanted. The blanket still managed to cover the small body. "I know you don't want to, but we have to. It's getting dark. More assassins might come and I don't want to lose you." Any more than I have already.

He walked through the garden, nodding to a pair of guards at the door, and carried Quatre back into the palace. Several servants and guards passed by, but all of them kept their eyes lowered.

"Then...then the garden," the blonde whispered. "The one Wufei grows all the weird plants, we can sleep there."

"It's too open," Trowa said. "You know that. I'm taking you back to our room."

Quatre started crying. "I don't want to. It's small and dark."

"You're not alone. I'm with you. In the morning we'll get up and I'll take you back to the garden." They came to their room and Trowa closed the door behind them. Quatre still had his eyes shut tight, so the king to the opportunity to shut the closet door, cutting the little room from view. Once sure that the window was locked, he sat down on the bed, his slave still in his lap.

"It's all right. Calm down."

Quatre only shook harder, acting as if the room was freezing. Trowa threw the blankets back and lay the blonde down, and then lay next to him, pulling the blankets back over him. His lover's shaking didn't stop when he was covered up by the heavy cloth, but he edged closer, trying to hide in his master's arms.

"You're safe, love. It'll never happen again, I promise. I'll keep you safe."

Quatre opened his eyes and shrunk back further. "Can you leave a light on? So it's not so dark."

"All right, a little light." Trowa made the motion of snapping his fingers, but his skin only slid together. At the far end of the room, one light crystal gave off a dim glow. "That better?"

Quatre nodded once. "Thank you."

Trowa held one hand in his and began rubbing the sore muscles. "Go to sleep, little one. I'll be right here."

A few minute later, Quatre's hand turned heavy, and Trowa looked at his slave's face. Fast asleep, he still moaned and tossed about, crying and snuggling closer. Trowa embraced him and drew him close, resigning himself to a long, sleepless night.

*

Duo woke up with his face pressed against Heero's neck and a crushing weight on his chest. Fighting to draw in a breath, he pushed against his master's chest and only felt what he now realized were Heero's arms constrict even tighter. His head started to hurt, and he pushed as hard as he could.

"Heero..."

"Heero, wake up."

"Please."

The king's eyes opened, and he stared at his slave for a moment. "Duo?"

Heero's arms slacked out of his confusion, and Duo managed a short breath. When he pushed farther, though, Heero tensed. Duo stopped struggling and looked up. His master smiled.

"Trying to get away, slave?"

Duo opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"No." Heero let him go, but only long enough to shove him face down on the ground. "No. You're mine."

Duo put his hands out to push himself up, and Heero leaned on his back until the slave winced and stopped moving. Heero dug one knee into the middle of Duo's legs, chuckling when he felt the muscles clench and draw together. He rocked back and forth on that knee, working it down, and pushed it between his legs to the floor. Spreading him out farther, Heero used his free hand to grab the waist band of Duo's pants.

Duo screwed his eyes shut and tears slipped out. "No...Heero, stop. Please stop."

"All mine." Heero spared a moment to push Duo's braid to the side and stroke his cheek. "I'll never let you go. You'll always belong to me." He took a hold of Duo's pants again and started to pull.

Duo's eyes opened as wide as they possibly could, his hands curled into claws around the blanket, and he screamed.

The pressure on his back disappeared, as did the hand on his waist and the legs between his. Something heavy hit the wall behind him, and he rolled on his back, pushing himself halfway up. He looked just in time to see Heero hit the floor and slide to a stop against the far wall. The king snarled, the tattered edge of his torn cloak trailing behind him, and stood up.

"Disobedient toy."

Duo scooted back as Heero stepped closer. Across the room, one of the chairs rattled and slid over the floor, slamming into him. He kicked at the chair, breaking it, and kept moving. The other chair came off the floor a few inches and hit his chest, but it broke into pieces on impact. Heero fell to his knees in front of Duo and raised his fist. As he brought his hand down, though, Duo lunged forward and tackled Heero. They rolled on the floor, coating themselves in dust and sand, but Duo kept his hands wrapped around Heero so the stronger boy couldn't land a real hit.

Something bright flashed in his peripheral vision, and he reached up without thinking. His fingers curled around the cold round sphere, and when Heero finally pushed him back, he heard a metallic snap and the stone came with him.

Separated by several feet, Duo looked at Heero, hand around his throat as if hurt, and Heero stared at his slave, who held the zero jewel in one hand.

"Duo?" Heero looked at his hand and found blood smeared on his skin. He ran his fingers over his neck and exhaled when the blood came from a small cut where the necklace had dug in.

Duo ignored the jewel in his hand, choosing instead to look at the broken chairs spread across the floor. He shook his head. I moved them. I know I did. But I didn't touch them. So I couldn't have moved them. But they moved. No one else was here. Heero didn't move them. So I moved them. Yes. Without touching them. But I couldn't have...without...but I did...

The jewel slipped from his fingers and hit the floor. A long crack ran up the middle and split it perfectly in half.

And I threw Heero across the room. I pushed him. Trapped. I pushed him. Without moving. I pushed him. I pushed him. Without touching him.

"Duo?"

Heero crawled closer. He waved his hand in front of Duo's eyes, and his slave didn't respond. Didn't blink. He put his ear against Duo's chest and found a heart beat. Sitting back with a frown, he repeated what he'd done when his slave had been crying. Moving his lover's limp body on his lap was hard enough, but after a moment he had Duo arranged comfortably in his arms. He glanced out the window at a starry night.

"We have to get home." Not waiting for an answer, pocketed the zero pieces and cradled Duo, carrying him downstairs and ignoring the scattering children as he took to streets to return to the palace.

*

Heero's breathing was the only noise in the street, aside from a few rats scratching their way through a house wall. He still held Duo in his arms and hugged him close to reassure himself that at least his slave's body was still there. Now he just had to get him back to the palace and under Sally's care.

He looked around the building corner at the two guards standing at the main gate. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he couldn't go in that way. They would see their prince, who could not leave until the king had died, and draw the most logical conclusion. Or they might not recognize him and attack, and with his arms full... Or they might just tell someone they'd seen their prince outside the walls. Now he couldn't even rely on the dark of night to hide himself, since early rays of sunlight were already turning the sky pale violet and the torches had been doused.

Heero nodded to himself and moved around the clump of buildings until he stood at a clear part of the white wall surrounding his palace. He could hear the guards stomping around inside the grounds, the increased number making them sound like a small herd of elephants.

How does anyone sleep with all that noise? he thought.

After glancing around to make sure they were alone, he set Duo on the ground, sitting him up against the wall and holding him upright. "Duo? Duo, wake up."

His slave's eyes fluttered a little, but nothing else. He checked Duo's breathing and pulse, but they were only a little slower than usual, as if he were asleep. But I don't want to shake him. It might not even help at all. And I can't climb over with him in my arms. "Duo?"

Footsteps thudded on the ground behind him, and he turned, drawing his knife as he did. No one in sight, but he could hear a small group heading towards them, loud voices talking and squabbling with each other. Merchants, he decided, getting ready for another day.

He slipped the knife away and put his hands on Duo's shoulders. "Please wake up. Duo? Please. There are people coming. I...I know I hurt you, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Duo didn't move.

The footsteps were getting closer. Heero closed his eyes and leaned forward until his head lay on Duo's shoulder. "Duo, I need you. You have to wake up. I can't carry you across." He lowered his arms and nestled further against Duo's body, beginning to shake. The merchants were only a few feet away now. "Please."

Duo blinked a few times, yawning as if waking from a long nap. Feeling his master huddling in front of him, he put his arms out and hugged him close, surprised when Heero froze. "Heero? What's wrong?" His master moved, grazing a sore spot on his side. Duo winced and put a hand on that spot. What the he...oh yeah. We fought...and...oh yeah...He looked down at Heero. Why on earth was he shivering? Mornings weren't that cold.

He understood when he heard the merchants heading towards them. "Oh...poor Heero." He tightened his hug and looked up at the wall. Well...let's see if my curse can get us out of this one.

Heero heard the merchants turn the corner, knew they were in plain sight, knew that if they were recognized, the entire city would know that the old king was dead and that the new king was only a frightened boy...the panic that would ensue, the possible coup attempts, the streets would...streets?

He opened his eyes and looked down. The street lay about twenty feet down, and the merchants had not thought to look up. Heero held perfectly still as he and Duo cleared the top of the wall and landed on the other side, both of them sitting behind a large tree and out of sight.

For a moment, Duo didn't move, happy just to hold Heero and focus only on his lover's breathing, the way his body relaxed and stopped shaking. Then Heero backed away a few inches and looked into Duo's eyes.

"Did you do that?"

Duo forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah. Glad the curse is good for something."

"'Curse'?" Heero frowned and tilted his head.

"Sister was right, all that stealing caught up with me." He lowered his head and stared at the grass. "I guess maybe if I do enough penance..."

Heero put his hands on either side of Duo's face, forcing him to look up. His slave winced at how tight he was holding him, and Heero winced in sympathy. He hadn't meant to hold him like that. He eased his hold so that he could barely feel Duo's skin on his fingers.

"It isn't a curse," he said. "It's a gift."

"Only demons and sorcerers can do that," Duo whispered. "It's unnatural. Unclean."

"Is Quatre unclean? Is Wufei?"

Duo backed out of his hands and pressed against the wall behind him. "You knew."

Heero lowered his hands. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Duo brought his legs up under himself, shrinking from his master.

"I was afraid you'd react like this. It's not a curse--"

"It is. It is." Duo raised his fist to his lips. "It's a punishment. Nothing good'll come of it."

"You saved my life." A faint smile crossed Heero's face. "At the banquet."

Duo stared unblinking for a moment. "I...no, I caught that arrow."

Heero shook his head. "No, you stopped that arrow before you touched it. I'd be dead if it weren't for your gift."

"I...really?"

"I swear it."

Duo said nothing.

He's going to need some time to absorb all this. Heero stood up and stretched his arms before reaching one hand to Duo. "Let's go in. We have to see what those zero things did while we were gone."

With a faraway look in his eyes, Duo took his hand and stood up. "Uh huh...Trowa and Treize, right...oh no. Quatre and Wufei..."

*

Quatre put his arms around himself and shivered even though there was no wind in his little room. Lit only by a single candle, the cramped corners of the walls and his bed made the cell seem like the small space was contracting even tighter around him. He looked at the pile of books on the floor. He'd read all of them. The tray with his scant meal rations hadn't been brought in a long time. Where was the maid? Had she forgotten about him? Had they all forgotten about him? Maybe there'd been a war, and everyone was dead, and the invading army didn't know about him. He started to cry.

"Am I ever going to leave this place?" he asked no one.

One of the books opened by itself, and pages flipped into the air, swirling above him in a whirlwind while a single page floated down. There were no words, only one picture of a tower, upside down.

Quatre sniffled. "Reversed tower. Regaining freedom, but only at a high cost." He looked up at the swirling mess of paper. "What would I have to give up?"

Another page, this time a picture of the sun with a face in the middle. Upside down.

He frowned and leaned forward. "The reversed sun? But that could mean so many things, love, future, home...what will happen if I do get out of here?"

Another picture came down, this time of a pale rider dressed in black, a scythe in his hand.

"Reversed death? So this would end, but nothing could replace it. Stagnation and disaster." He wiped his tears away and sighed. "Why is everything reversed? That never happens, even when I cast for Trowa..." He stopped. "Trowa. Wait, how...I haven't been in this place for years. Am I dreaming?"

A page floated down and fell to rest on the bed. A picture of himself hanging by one foot greeted him, except the card was upside down again.

"False vision and dreams," Quatre whispered. "Misinterpretations. What have I been interpreting for? I'm not trapped in this cell anymore..." What else am I trapped in?

"Trowa." He sat back, and now the cell was gone, leaving only the candle and the pages still hanging above him. "I've been wondering if I'll ever leave Trowa." He scanned the cards he'd read and sighed. "If I gain my freedom, bad things will happen. And if I stay his slave forever?"

One more card slipped out and landed in front of him. The Empress. Right side up.

"Fertility and needs fulfilled," he read. "Good things." He ran his fingers over the page's surface, rippling the picture as if it were water. "I remember you. I saw you the first night I slept beside Trowa." He picked up the candle and stared into the flame for awhile. "At least that hasn't changed. I need to dream these fortunes more often. I might have seen this coming."

He blew lightly on the flame, making it jump and dance. "And does Trowa truly love me?"

A drop of wax dripped from the top and cascaded down the right side of the candle. He smiled and blew out the light.

Quatre opened his eyes and found his master staring at him, the taller boy wrapped around him and smoothing his hair back. "Trowa?"

The young monarch smiled. "You're awake. How do you feel?"

He snuggled closer, pushing his face against his lover's chest. "A little better."

Trowa pulled the blankets up around Quatre's back, taking the time to look over his love's small body. The bruise's on the blonde's thin body had only paled a little, making him resemble a rag doll, or even a cracked china doll. He pressed a kiss to the warm forehead and slid his arm down around the slim waist. "It's still early. You can get some more sleep."

Quatre craned his neck and looked into Trowa's eyes. "Maybe you, too. Have you been holding me all night?"

Trowa nodded.

The slave smiled and hugged him back. "Sleep with me, then."

A knock at the door made Trowa stiffen, and he stared at the door while his free hand went for the knife under his pillow. "Who is it?"

On the other side of the door, Heero didn't touch the door handle. "Just me. Are you and Quatre all right?"

Trowa relaxed and lay back down. "We're both well enough. Is Duo still alive?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Heero's the one who got a little roughed up, but he's--mmph..."

Heero stepped behind Duo and kept one hand clamped over his mouth. "Good. I'll see you at a later hour, Trowa. We have things to discuss."

"Understood." He listened to his brother's footsteps disappear down the hall, and once they were gone, he looked back at his own slave, who was not only smiling, but quivering with muffled giggles. Confused, Trowa still smiled at the sparkle back in his Quatre's eyes. "Little one?"

Quatre yawned. "Duo's funny."

"I suppose." He kissed him again, this time on the pale and warm cheek. "Back to sleep. You've got a slight fever." He waited for a response, but none came. When he looked down, he smiled. Quatre was already fast asleep, snoring lightly.

*

Duke Dermail sat at his desk, his head perched on his clasped hands, and stared at the little mess of documents and maps before him. Also on the table lay the box he kept his rubies in, all the jewels counted and not all accounted for. Most damning of all, though, were the open windows he'd found, one in the garden and his own window left slightly ajar.

His door opened, and he glanced towards it. Four men walked in and closed the door behind them. All of them wore long white coats covered in red stains drying to a dull brown. Their features, no longer normal, had twisted over the years until they were only caricatures of the men they'd once been.

One stepped forward, hands in his coat pockets, looking through his mushroom hair. "You called us here for a reason?"

Dermail didn't return his look. "Someone knows about us."

The most normal one of the bunch, a smaller man with a twisted mustache, tilted his head. "Your granddaughter?"

"I'm beginning to think telling that girl was a mistake," Dermail said. "I should've known she was loyal to Relena. We have to consider that Relena and J know about our plans."
Mushroom head chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about J. I know for a fact he died very recently."

Dermail leaned back in his chair and looked up, but he stared at a point behind the necromancers. "How do you know?"

"I cast the spell, I should know. In any case, the little whelp is all we'll have to contend with now."

"And their sorcerer," the one with the fake nose said. "He's their strongest asset now."

On the other end, Laoshi O glanced at him. "Chang Wufei is not to be killed or mangled."

A collective sigh went up from the other necromancers, and the mustached man folded his arms.

"Enough with that tired refrain," he said, closing his eyes. "We're sick of hearing it. Mustn't hurt the boy, mustn't kill him...do you mind if he takes a few scratches? Or should we give him a bath and perfume him and wrap him in ribbons for you?"

Mushroom head laughed. "He'd probably like that."

"Him or the boy?"

Dermail held his hand up, hushing them. "Regardless, we have to strike before they get a chance to gather their forces. We have to move things up."

The necromancers all gave him sidelong glances which he didn't meet. "What do you mean?" Metal-Nose asked.

"We attack in three days."

Squawks of protest filled the room, as did an electric tingle that rose with their tempers.

"But the Libra spell--"

"We need time to test--"

"Not enough dolls yet--"

Dermail started as their emotions sparked the papers and charred some of them to ash before he could smother the flames. He pushed the smoldering pile onto the floor and leaned back again. "If you're quite finished throwing a temper tantrum, you'd best get back to work. From the way you were whining, it sounds like you have plenty to do."

Mushroom head stuck his hands back in his pockets. "Why don't you ever look us in the eye, Dermail? It's impolite not to look at us when you're ordering us around."

Dermail kept his stare locked on the burn marks in his desk. "Everyone knows better than to look a necromancer in the eye."

Laoshi O opened the door and left, followed by the others, and Metal Nose slammed the door behind himself. Dermail let out a breath and slumped in his chair. If it weren't for the promise of positions in the new kingdoms they were about to win, those monsters likely would've had his own heart on the altar of their spells. He took out a sheet of paper and a quill pen and began to write. Hopefully Dekim Barton would be a little more understanding of the needed rush than his sorcerers had been.

*

Propped up against several pillows and swamped under three blankets, Wufei studied the documents spread before him. He scanned over them with one hand while keeping the broken arm hidden under the covers.

"You said these came from Dermail's home?" he asked, tilting one of the pages to catch the sunlight better.

Sitting beside the bed, Heero nodded. "Right off his desk. What does it say?"

"That he intends to leave after the war is won." He turned to the next page and continued reading, and then smiled faintly. "Ah. So I was right. They've been after me all along."

"Why?"

"Laoshi O wrote that he wants me captured so he can take me back to my clan."

"I thought they exiled you."

"It seems they need me now. I'd wondered what that part of the riddle meant, 'return the unclean protection to the dying dragons'. I am the unclean protection. My clan is dying. Of course, it's been two years since I saw them last. They may be dead now."

"That explains at least one of those names," Heero said, looking back over the small list. "It looks like Dermail's bought the services of a few other sorcerers."

Wufei closed his eyes and sighed. "Of all the times to be injured...four sorcerers to fight."

"And an army," Heero said. "That's decided it. We have to attack soon, before they get too far along."

"I hate to say this, but they may be ready to attack even now." Wufei rubbed the back of his neck. "Or else they wouldn't have tried so many assassination attempts. If Dermail notices this theft, he'll suspect we know."

Heero stood up and went to the window, staring over the white walls of his palace and the city outside. "Dorothy said the same when she came back. Well, at least Barton can't get his forces here anytime soon."

"Neither can Relena."

Heero shrugged. "We have Dorothy. She's their strongest fighter. I don't know if you'll want their sorcerer's help."

Wufei shook his head. "I'm not fainting anymore, but he still looks like he's decomposing."

Heero smirked and let that subject drop. "How badly are you injured?"

"A broken arm, a few cuts and bruises...I'll live. It's healing quickly anyway." He looked up at Heero. "And Duo? Treize said he was asleep..."

"He is. It was a hard night," the king said. "But he's fine. I only managed a few punches before he threw me into a wall and followed up with a table."

"He threw you?" Wufei shook his head. "I didn't think he was that strong."

"Not physically. But mentally, he can probably move whatever he wants to."

"Mentally?" He breathed in deep. "A telekinetic?"

Heero looked at him. "What?"

"Telekinetics. It means he can move things with his mind. I read about them when I was still in the clan. They're very rare." He shifted to a more comfortable position under the blankets. "Poor Duo. If he'd known before, he wouldn't have had such a hard life."

"He must have used it a little, instinctually," Heero said. "To run rings around Treize like that takes a lot more than skill and luck. Which reminds me..." He glanced at the broken signet on the nightstand. "I spoke to Treize earlier today. He says you aren't his slave anymore."

Wufei followed his gaze and smiled. "No. I am free again."

"Well, since he's released his slave, it seems I am in need of a sorcerer. Would you like the job?"

The sorcerer stared, too surprised to speak.

"I admit, the pay isn't great, you'd be in constant danger and on call all day and night, and we seem to be on the verge of war..."

Wufei chuckled. "True, but living in the palace is much better than living anywhere else. I accept."

"Good. I'll let you rest some more. I need to speak to my brother in any case."

Wufei watched him leave with a satisfied smile.

What are you so happy about? Nataku asked from her spot on the table. You're just getting bits of gold, nothing else.

"Those bits of gold are important," he said. "I've been having a reoccurring dream of wrapping Treize in nothing but silver jewelry and chains, and I'll need gold to do that."

She puffed smoke in annoyance. Humans. Is sex all you ever think about?

"No," he said. "Saving the kingdom from invasion occasionally comes up, too."

*

Relena gazed out the window of her royal guest room, finding the garden much more interesting than the lack of decorations inside. Obviously the castle had been furnished by men who favored Spartan styles over anything that would be considered homey. She smoothed out her red vest and skirt, the most colorful things in the room, and yawned.

A mass of blonde hair popped up in front of her face. "Miss Relena, I'm back."

Relena nearly fell out of her chair. Dorothy grinned and climbed in through the window, falling to her knees in front of her queen. She giggled when Relena scowled and lay her head in her lap.

"You shouldn't startle me like that," the queen said. "I might have screamed."

"That would've made it even nicer."

Relena shook his head slowly and ran her hand along Dorothy's long hair. "You were gone for quite awhile."

"Yes. I met our host and his slave there. Grandfather's going to find his ruby hoard greatly depleted." Dorothy's smile faded. "Things are farther along than I would've liked."

"What do you mean?" She put her hand under her foster's chin and tilted her face up.

"Grandfather wants you dead by my hand."

Relena smiled. "Then it's a good thing I already have you in my hand. Dorothy, I don't want you to go back there again."

Dorothy pushed herself halfway up, clenching her hands into fists. "But Miss Relena, I learn things there. I have to keep up appearances."

"Dorothy, think," Relena whispered. "Duke Dermail will return to his room to find himself robbed, and the one person who knows where he keeps everything is his granddaughter."

"But Miss Relena--"

"No, Dorothy. You stay here." She squeezed her foster's hands and held her close. "You know what will happen if you go back. I don't want to lose you."

Dorothy broke the embrace and stood, straightening her skirt and sword belt. "As you will."

Relena watched her move to the other side of the room, unbuttoning the tight maroon vest and shrugging it off onto the bed. "I'm sorry."

Dorothy paused for a moment. "Forgive me. You know what I'm like when I get tired. Will you join me in the baths?"

The queen smiled. "It would be the safest place in the entire palace." She stood up, stretching muscles sore from too much sitting, and gazed out the window again. A block of soldiers, much larger than those she'd seen before, stood in the grass along the corner of the walls, apparently receiving orders from their commander. A female commander, too, judging by the curves in the uniform. Relena paid a bit more attention, taking the rare opportunity to see another woman in the palace not in a servant's outfit.

And then someone else walked into view, standing beside the female commander and facing the soldiers. Someone with long blonde hair and a few inches on her.

"Another woman?" Relena leaned forward, placing her hands on the window sill. No, it was a man. He turned once, swishing his long hair around. Relena blinked in the glare, as did most of the men on the field. While he conversed with his co-commander, though, he happened to look up at the sky, and then at the palace itself.

Relena took a step back, and the motion caught Zech's eye. For a moment, neither moved.

"Miliardo," she whispered.

Dorothy whirled, seeing her too late at the window.

"Relena," Zechs said out loud.

Noin turned towards him. "What?"

Zechs shook his head and turned back to the White Fang force. "Nothing. Continue."

Back in her room, Relena turned her head one way, glancing at him sideways. "My brother. Here all the time." She smiled and clasped her hands together. "I've finally found you."

*

Heero and Trowa sat in the library facing each other, arms folded on the table between them. Neither looked at the other, choosing instead to look out the window or in the mirror on the far wall. Servants ran back and forth in the outside hall, but none of them dared come inside.

"So war is imminent?" Trowa asked.

"Perhaps not war," Heero said. "Not yet. It's only Dermail and Barton."

"And their supporters. You might have the makings of a civil war on your hands."

Heero shook his head. "I don't think either of them have enough supporters, otherwise why use necromancers? I think it'll be a powerful insurrection, but not war."

"Regardless, Dermail must be crushed, and soon."

"And then Barton."

Trowa leaned back in his chair and stared at his brother. "Do we use the gundams?"

"I don't know. I only know that we're up against a small army and four necromancers."

"And what do we have to bring to the battle?"

Heero shook his head once. "My army is large, but I don't want my soldiers running through the streets sacking and looting."

"Soldiers wouldn't do that, not with their commanding officers over them."

Heero smirked. "No, Trowa. You tell me I think too much like a soldier, so at least trust me on this. If you allow a fight in a city, soldiers will take it. It's their privilege in war. After all the effort that goes into siege or a battle, you have to let them loose for awhile. I can't do that to my own city."

"All right, so we can't use the army. What can we use? One sorcerer and the palace guard?"

"You're right. We'll have to use the gundams. There's no choice." He propped his head up on his arm. "Duo can fight. If I can get him to see his gift as a gift and not a curse, he'll be even stronger. What about Quatre?"

"His worst injuries are his fingers, and that's already healing." Trowa smiled. "He'd like training with Duo and Wufei. I think he'd like the company."

"Zechs and Treize are already practicing. I suppose we could join them."

"Good idea. We can bring...wait. Can Wufei handle a weapon now?"

Heero nodded. "He accelerated his healing, about two weeks worth in two days. I doubt Treize'll work him too hard, but he can at least get used to the Shenlong."

"Are they still in the garden?"

"They should be." He stood and went to the mirror. "Garden."

At the table, Trowa nearly fell off his chair when he saw his brother laugh.

*

"And your hands are feeling better?"

Quatre nodded and showed one off to Wufei. "Yup. I don't know if that's your magick or Sally's herbs, though."

Crosslegged beside him, Wufei would have bristled if he had a tail. "You doubt my abilities?"

"Never." He looked back at his hand and the faint webwork of scars on his fingertips. "Did fighting the geis hurt?"

Wufei nodded once. "So much so that I passed out. But it was worth it. Duo?"

Crouched in the tree branches above them, Duo shook his head. "I didn't feel anything hit me. I pushed him away and hit him once, but I didn't feel anything."

"That's odd," Wufei said. "I know I put a geis on you. Why wouldn't it work?"

Duo shrugged. "I don't know. I'm glad it didn't." He grinned. "I heard you don't have a geis anymore, though."

Wufei smiled. "No. Treize freed me a few days ago."

"That's great," Quatre said. "Have you...you know?"

A blush crept over Wufei's face. "Quatre, I can't. My arm is still broken, remember?"

"So when it heals, then?"

"Quatre!"

"Okay, okay. I'll let you be." Quatre yawned and lay back on the grass, crossing his legs while he stared at the ceiling. "How'd you get clouds to form inside a building?"

Wufei looked up. "It was simple, actually. All the water in the ground goes up and forms there as a cloud. When enough goes up, it rains again." He flexed his arm, stretching it out and exercising the sore muscles. "The hard part is timing it so the servants aren't soaked."

Quatre turned his head and looked at him. "Water goes up? How?"

"It just does." Wufei nodded at the pond. "The water in there disappears and floats up to the ceiling."

Quatre shook his head. "That's impossible. Water can't do that."

"Sure it can," Duo said. "In the city, we have to cover jars of water so the water doesn't go away."

The blonde only frowned. "But that doesn't make sense. Water's wet. It doesn't go away just like that."

"Yeah it does. On really hot days you can lose half a jar. And when you take the top off, water drips off of it. It's like it gets stuck on the way up."

Quatre blinked. "I don't get it."

Wufei glanced at Duo. "Speaking of stuck on the way up, are you ever coming down?"

Duo rubbed the back of his neck and winced. "Uh...actually..."

"That's what I thought."

"It's not my fault. It was just so easy climbing up...I've never had to climb down before." Duo looked around for a nearby tree but none lay in range. "I've always just jumped before."

"Be careful," Quatre said. "You might tear your clothes."

Duo fingered the harem material and nodded. "Maybe. But if I try to climb, I'll tear something for sure."

"Then I guess you'd better jump." Quatre looked at the tree trunk. "It's not so far."

Duo winced. "Far enough. Wu', could you help me down?"

Wufei stretched out beside Quatre and closed his eyes. "That would be a waste of energy. Why don't you just lower yourself?"

"Are you scared of heights?" the blonde asked.

Duo shook his head. "No. Just the falling part."

"Then why did you climb up there in the first place?"

"I wanted to."

Wufei opened one eye. "Duo, from what I understand, you grabbed Heero and flew over the palace walls with him. Can't you do that again?"

Duo sat back on his branch and grabbed his braid, stroking it. "I...I don't think I should. I don't think I should use it."

Quatre looked at Wufei. "Use what?"

"He can move things with his mind."

"But that's a good thing." The blonde craned his neck so he could see his friend. "Why wouldn't you want to use that?"

Duo mumbled something and looked away.

"What?"

"I said it's wrong. It's bad."

"But why?"

He nursed his braid some more. "It's bad. God says we're not supposed to use magick."

"Is what you're doing magick?" Wufei asked. "You don't chant any spells, do you?"

Duo shrugged. "Well, no..."

"Are you calling up demons to make you move?"

"No..." He looked back at the ground again.

"Look, Duo, either jump or lower yourself, but make up your mind."

Duo tightened his grip on his braid. He didn't want to jump, so...he closed his eyes. He could feel himself, the way his clothes hung on his body, the tree branches underneath him, and he took a deep breath. He could feel something around his body, like a second skin, and he moved that up until he couldn't feel the tree anymore. Pushing that skin one way, he opened his eyes and watched as he floated a few feet from the tree and hovered a few feet off the ground. With a ragged sigh, he started down.

"Wow, that's amazing," Quatre said.

Startled by his voice, Duo fell the last five inches and plopped on the grass between his friends.

"Yes, amazing," Wufei said with a snicker.

"Ow..." Duo rubbed his hind end.
"Sorry."

"S'okay, Quatre."

"Um, Duo?"

"Yeah?"

Quatre sat up straight and faced his friend. "How come you don't mind being around me and Wufei?"

Wufei smirked again. "I was wondering when this would come up..."

Duo scratched the back of his neck. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I tell the future, and Wufei uses magick. How come you...you know...stay with us?"

Duo smiled. "You're my friends. I just can't stop liking you."

Quatre smiled back.

Wufei rolled onto his stomach and rose up on his elbows. "Besides, who would he talk to?"

Duo folded his arms and glared at him. "Hey, just 'cause you outrank us now doesn't mean you can keep snapping at me."

"Still, I'm glad you can still sit with us and talk," Quatre said.

Wufei nodded once. "They trust me."

Duo smirked, much like Wufei had done. "Even though you turned Treize into a duck?"

Wufei's jaw dropped.

Quatre giggled. "He did what?"

"Duo!"

"Hey, Wu', I hear the servants talk all the time. In fact, I've heard you even turned him into a little puppy dog once and made him do tricks."

Quatre rolled on his back, wracked with giggles.

Wufei sat up, waved his hand, and smacked Duo in the face with a bunch of wet leaves. Duo scraped them off, but he didn't throw them down. Instead he glanced at the leaves, up at Wufei, then back at the leaves. A particularly wicked grin spread over his face and he held the leaves up in his hand.

Wufei yelped as the leaves landed back in his face. "Duo!"

"You said I shouldn't be afraid to use it," the slave said with a laugh.

"I didn't mean on me," the sorcerer said. He grabbed another bunch of leaves and stood up.

Duo did the same and advanced.

Quatre squeaked and ran behind the nearest tree.

When Heero and Trowa entered, Duo and Wufei both had leaves stuck in the hair and on their face, with more gathered in their hands and flying through the air. Leaves zoomed back and forth on impossible paths as each made motions with their hands and sent their handfuls in curves coming around to smack each other in the back of the head.

"Duo," Heero said, and he lay a hand on his slave's shoulder.

"Eep!" Duo spun around, blushing in embarrassment, and dropped his leaves. The sudden spin upset his balance and he fell backward on the grass.

Wufei laughed and let his leaves fall to the ground.

Trowa walked to nearest tree and held his hand out. "It's safe to come out now, little one."

Quatre smiled and took his hand, stepping in close and laying his head on his master's chest. "I can't throw leaves with my mind. I don't have to be psychic to know I'm outmatched."

Wufei shook his head. "You know I wouldn't hit you. Duo, on the other hand..."

"Ah, you just don't like it that I can nail you back."

Trowa walked back toward them with Quatre snuggled against his side. "Shall we go, then?"

Duo looked up at his master. "Go where?"

"Training room. You need to practice with your gundams."

"We have to go back to J's lab?"

Heero shook his head. "No. We moved them up. Wufei'll clean out the lab later."

"Not something I'm looking forward to," Wufei groaned and picked up his staff. "Is Treize waiting for us?"

"Can't wait to show off?" Trowa asked.

"He's never seen me fight the way I used to. It's an entirely different style...although I'm out of practice."

They walked through the hallways and down new corridors that Duo had never seen before. He looked through an open door they passed and saw hundreds of swords, shields and bows along the walls, with other weapons he didn't recognize on racks and hooks, and sheets of mail spread out ready to be sized.

Wufei winced and leaned hard on his staff. Quatre noticed and put one arm around Wufei's waist, steadying him. "You all right?"

The sorcerer shrugged and closed his eyes. "It's the amount of iron here. It's hot and I can taste it in the air. I'll be all right when we pass it."

"We're almost there." Heero quickened his step farther down the hall, and he opened the door in front of him.

Duo nearly tripped when they entered the training room, too busy gawking at the sheer size and the variety of weapons inside. No tiles covered this room, but the amount of cracks and dents in the wall told him why, and he wondered just how violent the fights in here could become. He felt a tug on his braid and kept moving after Heero.

In the middle of the room, Zechs and Treize appeared to have been fighting for quite awhile. Treize tried to step in close with his glowing Talgeese, while Zechs kept him at bay with the Epyon and even managed a few strikes against his commanding officer. Both lowered their weapons when they saw the others come in.

"Got tired waiting?" Heero asked.

Treize sheathed his sword. "We both wanted to get a little more practice in. Are you decided?"

Heero nodded. "Yes. We can't trust anyone else. Where are they?"

Zechs motioned for them to follow and took them to the back of the training room, to a weapon's rack set against the wall. "Maybe they should choose their own."

"I agree." Heero turned to Duo. "Choose a weapon. Whichever you like best."

"You too, little one." Trowa nudged Quatre forward when the blonde held back, looking back and forth between the rack and his master. "It's all right. Go ahead."
"You'd better take one, too, Wufei," Heero said. "You might need something more than magick when the fighting starts."

The sorcerer smiled and leaned his customary staff against the wall. "I already know which one." He picked out the silver pole. Duo stepped next to him and took the black pole. Quatre picked up the two curved blades on the bottom of the rack, and he gasped when his hands gripped the hilts.

"Quatre?" Trowa took a step closer. "Are you all right?"

The blonde smiled and looked up at him. "I'm fine. It feels right." He turned them over in his hands and watched the sunlight reflect off the edges. "They feel perfect."

"So what do we do with them?" Duo asked. "It looks like it's just a stick."

Wufei smirked and shook his head. "Not quite. Hold your weapon out and face me."

Heero stiffened.

"It's all right," the sorcerer said before the king could pounce on him. "I won't hurt him."

Heero relaxed, and he backed away with the others to give the two some room.

Duo took a good hold on his staff and stood so that his side faced Wufei, who whirled his own staff to feel out the balance. Once he was comfortable, he dropped into a fighting stance.

"I'm going to attack," he told Duo. "Defend as well as you can, or else you're going to have some ugly bruises to show off."

Duo nodded. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Wufei lunged out with the stick, sweeping it through the air at Duo. As it arced, it flashed white around the tip, and the light sharpened into a dull glow in the shape of a spear tip. Duo yelped and dodged to one side, jumping back again when Wufei made another pass.

That's it. I don't like being swung at, Duo thought. He took his own weapon and swung it at the sorcerer, who bent backward and let it pass by. Now why can't I make my staff glow? He took a deep breath and moved forward, bringing his staff with him. He envisioned a green spear of his own, glowing bright so that it blinded his enemies. A light tingle moved through his hands with his next swing, and this time light gathered at the tip. Instead of focusing the same as Wufei's had, it trailed to one side and hardened into a scythe blade.

"Wow! Cool," he breathed, spinning it once. "Did I make it do that?"

"Yes," Wufei nodded. "And fast, too."

"I'll take over now," Heero said. "Treize?"

The captain smiled and raised his sword. "Wufei? Are you up for some real fighting?"

Wufei raised one eyebrow. "You've never seen the way I fight. Do you think you can handle it?"

Zechs laughed and leaned against the wall. "Now we'll see how much you really do coddle him."

The sorcerer practically hissed at him. "You...I should tell Nataku to burn your room."

"Then Noin would kill you. She has all her things in there." Zechs looked around at the few windows. "Where is your little lizard anyway?"

"In bed, as usual."

Trowa put his hand on Quatre's shoulder and drew him to the other side of the room. "Are you ready to practice?"

"Just like we do at home?"

"Mm-hmm. And you'll be allowed to carry these with you at all times if you wish."

Quatre's eyes widened and he breathed in. "But...Trowa. I'm not allowed to have any weapons--"

"Little one, I am sovereign of one of the strongest kingdoms in the land. If I say my slave may have two kamis," he stepped closer and pressed a kiss to Quatre's forehead, "then he can. Damn the law. In fact, I'll change it when we get back."

Quatre nearly dropped his blades.

Zechs watched the six pair off and coiled his epyon, fastening it to his hip. "I'll let you practice, then. Treize?"

The captain nodded once. "I'll see you later to discuss the white fang."

Zechs walked out of the training room and down the hall, heading for the main corridor and the room he shared with his wife. The halls were uncomfortably hot in the summer season, or was that just the result of his long practice fight? He stretched his sore muscles and brushed his hair back from his face. And with the fight coming so close...I wonder if I should cut it.

"Milliardo?"

He stopped, but he didn't turn around.

"Milliardo, it is you, isn't it?" Relena came out of her doorway and stepped closer. "Please turn around. Please?"

He hesitated, then turned sideways and looked back at her. She still had on her red vest and pink skirt, but it was what she didn't wear that surprised him. No crown. "Relena."

She smiled and ran up to him, grabbing him in a tight hug. "It is you! All these years, and you've been right here."

He couldn't squash his smile. He put one arm over her for a moment. "You've grown. The last time I saw you, you were still playing with dolls."

"I've missed you so much," she said, pulling back. "Why did you leave? Mother said you weren't happy, and father wouldn't say anything. Miliardo, you should be ruling in my place. The crown is rightfully yours."

He shook his head and put his hands on her shoulders. "No, Relena. I can't be king. I can't rule. Peacecraft is a pacifist nation, and I...my hands are too stained with blood. I'm too much the soldier to give up fighting."

Relena nodded once. "That's what mother said. She said you needed the fight, that it was in your blood."

"Exactly." Zechs looked down the hall and for once was glad there were no servants nearby. "Besides, I couldn't stand being royalty."

Her jaw dropped. "You...you didn't want to be prince?"

"No. I couldn't stand all the people trying to use me for their own ends. Everyone begging for something and expecting me to fix their problems. The political in-fighting, the backstabbing, constantly looking over your shoulder...although I suppose that's why you have Dorothy." He smiled and tilted his head. "Or at least part of the reason."

She blushed and lowered her eyes. "Are we so obvious?"

"And her lion costume wasn't?" He laughed when her blushed got darker. "Relax, you're not obvious. I've just been surrounded by that for so long I pick up the hints and clues."

Relena laughed with him. "It makes me wonder how royalty perpetuates itself."

"Or maybe we're both adopted," Zechs said. "That's the way everyone else seems to do it."

She shook her head. "No, I'm sure we're Peacecrafts."

"You're paternity, at least, was never in doubt."

She kept her grip on his arm and tugged him gently towards her room. "Will you stay with me awhile? I want to talk to you so much."

He looked at her for several seconds. "I can't go back. My life is here now."

Relena's hand slipped from his. "I...I know. I wouldn't try to take you away. I only..." She looked away and stopped talking. "I just wanted to talk. It's been so long."

He let out a breath. Well, if she isn't going to try to take me back... "I suppose I could take a few hours from training."

She smiled and walked with him into her room.

TBC...